Having read some very good post's here on CSR about our needs and who's stock is rising in the draft, I wanted to float a possible new strategy after the jump...

For the last few weeks most, not all, but a lot of the faithful see Ric Fairley(WOOooooo) as our #1 pick(me included).  Now the possibility is there that the Cam Newton express has left the station heading for the combine with a full head of steam and already seems to have 3 or 4 teams onboard that he is #1 pick worthy.  This opens up the possibility of a trade.  I was one of the first to propose trading down if we could reap extra picks and still get Fairley, but what if... (my mind is spinning here) we did just that, trade the #1, get picks, and still get Fairley.  James, maybe you could shed some light on what picks we could expect to get for the #1.  I would try and get the first round pick to still get our DT, but I would also weigh additional picks offered heavily to the 2012 draft. 

We should be able to address our O-line and other positions of need with the remainder of this draft and F/A.  Other articles on CSR have proposed very good possibilities for F/A WR's and QB's and we have the cap space, or should, even after we re-sign our own guys.

We then evaluate what our depth is at RB and if we have the guys that RR and company think are going to fit their plans the best, cut the fat and turn it into something useful for 2012.  What I mean by that is if we need to trade Williams and can get an impact player like Kolb, Orton, Young, or McNabb and a 2012 pick, I pull the trigger.  I do the same with whatever I can get for Smitty if he really doesn't want to be here and possibly Conner, but I have to get a 2012 pick along with whom ever we trade for.  I could see Foxy in Denver licking his chops to get any of the three.

We are maybe 5-6 key players away from being very solid on both sides of the ball.  We should be able to fill those needs with the draft picks we have(if the Hurneator) is as good in the later rounds as he has historically been.  The rest we get through F/A.  What we have now accomplished is a war chest of picks for next year when a certain Stanford QB will be entering the draft.  If he is still as solid as everyone thought this year, we trade what we have to to get that first pick and we draft our franchise QB(didn't Miami trade their whole draft one year, and we'll have extra picks).  If his stock falls next year we have plenty of 2012 draft picks to use in other area's of need.

If a franchise QB is what we really want then I don't waste picks drafting a QB this year.  I have heard no one mentioned(other than Luck) as being a "once in a decade" type talent at QB in this years draft.  I say we don't lose sight of the prize and plan accordingly for next years draft while we handle our business this year.  I like "double trouble" and what they, Goodson and Sutton bring to our running game, but you can't get but so many players on the field at a time.  I'm also a big "Smitty" fan, but if he doesn't want to be here, you have to trade him. 

Ok, the fire retardant suit is on...ready to get flamed.